The weekly newsletter from 08th to 16th of july 2021
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Egypt
The House of Representatives is on the same pattern: it amends its bylaws to the desire of the future of a nation, approve the laws of the president, and work on legislation to defend women’s rights
The House of Representatives, during its plenary session, headed by Counselor Dr. Hanafi Jabali, approved Presidential Decree No. 290 of 2021 to extend the state of emergency declared in the country for three new months, starting from one o’clock in the morning on Saturday, July 24.
The House of Representatives, during its plenary session, also finally approved the amendment of the internal regulations of the Council issued by Law No. 1 of 2016, which includes amending a number of articles. The amendments submitted by Representative Alaa Abed, Vice President of the Future Home Party, included 31 articles by deletion, addition and replacement.
Among the most prominent of its contents, is the establishment of an integrated and disciplined organization for the mechanism of work of the two agents and the distribution of competencies between them after their election in accordance with the Constitution, the law and these regulations, by:
- Choosing a first deputy from among the two deputies after their election, and he is the one with the highest votes.
- In the event of equal votes, the oldest shall be appointed.
- In all cases, the deputy shall replace the first deputy in his absence, or if his position becomes vacant until a new agent is elected and the first agent is determined
- In the event that they attend together, the first deputy shall precede the deputy in presiding over the council’s sessions in the cases indicated in these regulations, its committees and other meetings.
- It also allowed the president of the council to delegate some of his powers to the first representative, and he may delegate him to preside over some of the council’s sessions. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board:
- The first representative presides over the sessions
- In his absence, the proxy chairs the sessions
- In the event that they are both absent from a session after its opening, the eldest member present shall preside over it
- The first representative shall preside over the session in the event the council president relinquishes the chair of the session to express his opinion by participating in the discussion of any presented issue.
- In the event that the position of the Chairman of the Council becomes vacant between sessions, the First Deputy shall assume the duties of the presidency on a temporary basis, until the election of the new chairman.
The amendments included that the parties that have 3 seats in the council be represented in the general committee instead of 10. The amendments also dealt with practical problems in the rules and conditions for the nomination of members of the specific committees, and the election of the president, two agents and the secretary at the beginning of each session. The amendments also granted the president of the council the competence to refer projects Laws are submitted to the State Council, which considers the importance of referring them in the stages prior to their presentation to the Council, in addition to the competence granted to the Council. A ruling was introduced to the effect that the draft laws submitted by ten members of the Council should be extinguished at the end of the legislative term in which they were presented, unless the Council has begun discussing them.
The House of Representatives also finally approved the amendment of some articles of the Penal Code that increase the penalty for the crime of sexual harassment. The amendments submitted by the representative of the parliamentary majority of the Future Watan Party, MP Ashraf Rashad, and approved by the House included the following:
- Article 306 bis (a): Whoever intercepts others in a public or private place by making sexual or pornographic innuendos or insinuations, whether by gesture, verbal or deed, by any means, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of no less than two years and not exceeding four years. This includes wired, wireless, or electronic communications, or any other technical means. The penalty shall be imprisonment for a period of no less than three years and not exceeding five years, and a fine of no less than two hundred thousand pounds and not more than three hundred thousand pounds, or either of these two penalties. if the act is repeated by the offender through stalking and tracking the victim and in case of doing it twice the punishments are doubled in their minimum and maximum limits.
The Official Gazette published President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s ratification of a new law No. 134 of 2021 that includes amendments to three laws related to the armed forces. The House of Representatives approved by a two-thirds majority of its members last week a draft law submitted by the government to Parliament on June 13 to amend three laws: :
- Conditions of Service and Promotion for Officers of the Armed Forces, No. 232 of 1959
- Service of Honor and Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers in the Armed Forces No. 123 of 1981
- Law No. 4 of 1968 on Command and Control of Defense Affairs and the Armed Forces.
Finally, the Public Prosecution accepts the appointment of women, according to the decision of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
The Public Prosecution announced that it had accepted the appointment of women for the first time in its history, in implementation of the decision of the Supreme Council of Judicial Bodies headed by President Sisi, through the system of delegation from other bodies. The Public Prosecution indicated that the committee started its work at the headquarters of the Attorney General’s Office, where it met with some female judges and examined their files, and the committee will continue to convene until the completion of its work, and then it will be presented to the Attorney General, to take a decision assigning some of them to work in the Public Prosecution after the presentation to the Supreme Judicial Council On the first of next October.
Disguised confiscation is an old and modern Egyptian security tactic
At a time when a large number of activists, including lawyer Khaled Ali, announced the availability of the “Curly” bureau of Ahmed Doma in the outlets of the house at the Book Fair, a colloquial bureau written by the political activist, imprisoned since December 2013, due to accusations related to the protest law, but the security instructions were It is clear that it is forbidden to display and sell it, while a source familiar with the exhibition’s work described the procedure as “disguised confiscation,” which is not prohibited by law. Security instructions preceded the Diwan’s distribution to libraries. From a legal point of view, all procedures for issuing the book are sound, from contracting with Douma’s brother and obtaining a deposit number from Dar al-Kutub, and its content does not include any political criticism, but realistically, they could not announce or oppose this measure, so as not to provoke the security forces because there is nothing stopping them from confiscating all printed copies of Douma’s book or withdraw other books published by the same editorial or others within the book fair.
Abbas Kamel, Director of Egyptian Intelligence, calls on members of Congress to imprison Muhammad Sultan
According to the American “Politico” magazine, the Director of Egyptian Intelligence Abbas Kamel, during his last visit to America in June 2021, carried four files that he said were related to “Egyptian national security” for discussion with senior American officials, one of which was activist Mohammed Sultan, while he was in Congress, and he insisted on that the United States promised in 2015 that if Egypt released the American activist Mohamed Sultan, he would serve the rest of his life sentence in an American prison, asking: “Why is Sultan free and lives in Virginia?”, and not only that, but also handed Congressmen a document that looks like an agreement signed between Egyptian and American officials stipulating that Sultan’s prison sentence in America is a document handing over the Egyptian Interpol to the American authorities.
Activist Mohamed Soltan, who holds dual Egyptian and American citizenship, was released and deported to the United States on May 30, 2015, after spending a year and nine months in prison in Egypt, and this came after Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on November 12, 2014, issued a law permitting he may approve the extradition of the accused and the transfer of convicted non-Egyptians to their countries, “for the purpose of trial or execution of the sentence issued against them.”
Hazing hope
The Court of Cassation upheld the decision of the Criminal Court to include Ziad El Elaimy , the former parliamentarian, Rami Shaath, son of the former Palestinian Foreign Minister, and 11 others on the terrorist lists, for a period of 5 years. He submitted a request to the Criminal Court, carrying No. 1 of 2020 decisions (terrorist inclusion) regarding Case 571 of 2020 State Security Restriction, known as the Hope Cell, to approve the inclusion of the accused in the lists of terrorists, and the Cairo Criminal Court decided to approve the Attorney General’s request, to include the accused on the list for a period of five Years starting from the date of issuing the decision, with the consequences that follow throughout this period.
At the same time, the South Cairo Court began the first trial sessions of Ziad El Elaimy , Hisham Fouad, Hossam Mounes, Hossam Nasser Kamel, Muhammad Bahnasy Massad and Fatima Ramadan, in a serious case bearing No. 957 of 2021 before the Emergency State Security Court, two years after he was arrested without conducting investigations in this case at all, which was confirmed by defense lawyers.
On Sunday, the Egyptian Court of Cassation upheld the verdict issued in September 2019 against ten members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the General Guide, Mohamed Badie, to sentence Badie to 25 years in prison and nine of the group’s leaders were convicted of storming prisons during the January revolution, and the court acquitted eight other leaders of the group classified as “terrorist.” “In Egypt, the criminal court’s rulings overturned their 15-year imprisonment, and it is worth noting that the rulings of the Court of Cassation are final and cannot be appealed.
Do the official bodies of the Egyptian state really protect and respect women
After an interactive report published by the New York Times last week, which included testimonies of about 12 Egyptian women – who preferred not to reveal their identities, with the exception of the two activists, Malak Al-Kashef and Asma Abdel Hamid – who spoke about being subjected to sexual abuse and assault in departments, prisons or hospitals, during their previous periods of detention. The newspaper commented on a statement published by the Ministry of Interior, in which it denied the systematic physical abuse of some detainees. The newspaper had published their testimonies a week ago, that the statement did not clarify the security source it was quoted, nor did it clarify whether the women’s allegations had been investigated, and that he did not provide an explanation for the exclusion of a systematic problem, the Ministry of the Interior denied, that some female detainees in prisons were subjected to what the statement called systematic physical abuse during their detention, and considered that the statements of a number of provocative elements in a foreign newspaper, are an attempt among continuous attempts to spread rumors and lies, and the New York Times confirmed That all the women stuck to their stories published in the report even after denying the Ministry of Interior, which did not respond to our request for more information about the statement.
Because of a tweet he wrote more than a year ago, Hossam Bahgat is facing investigations.. and the case of civil society organizations. For the first time in ten years, Gamal Eid was summoned for investigation.
The Public Prosecution decided to refer the director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, to trial on September 7, accusing him of insulting a statutory body, spreading false rumors of electoral fraud, and using social media to commit crimes, according to what Bahgat wrote on Twitter. Bahgat was summoned for interrogation in Case No. 35 of 2020, in mid-June, against the background of a report submitted by the Acting National Elections Authority, last December, due to Bahgat’s publication of a tweet on Twitter in which he held the former head of the commission, Lashin Ibrahim, responsible for what marred the parliamentary elections. The latter was tampered with, and Bahjat was released after being interrogated on personal guarantee.
The State Department spokesman said, in a press conference at the White House in Washington, that his country is concerned about the continued accusations and imprisonment of civil society leaders, journalists and academics in Egypt, and restrictions on them, highlighting the formal accusations of the Executive Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, explaining That his government addressed the Egyptian government about Bahgat, expressing its strong belief that individuals like him should not be targeted for peacefully expressing their views. Price added that targeting and prosecuting the initiative team and civil society organizations, including the defendants in Case 173 of 2011 known as the Civil Society Organizations case, is a violation of Egyptians’ rights to freedom of expression and their right to establish and join associations, and threatens Egypt’s stability and prosperity. Price added that the United States will continue to support human rights defenders and journalists around the world, and as a strategic partner, the United States will continue to support human rights defenders and journalists around the world and in its quality as a strategic partner for Egypt, the US expressed its concerns to the Egyptian government and will continue to do so.
On the other hand, the director of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, Gamal Eid, one of the defendants in the civil society case, stated that he was summoned for interrogation, on Sunday, July 19, for the first time since the case began ten years ago, before the investigative judge, Counselor Ali Mokhtar.
We starve to live, a call for help from prisoners and activists
4 of the prisoners continue their hunger strike, amid fears of the deterioration of their health. On the other hand, calls for solidarity with them from outside the prisons are increasing, from activists and solidarity activists, who have announced a symbolic hunger strike for 24 hours to support them, and support their demands, journalist Hisham Fouad is on hunger strike 8 days ago, in protest of his over two-year pretrial detention, in violation of the law. He is the third political prisoner on hunger strike during the current period, after researcher Ahmed Samir Santawi, whose strike exceeded 20 days, and engineer Ahmed Badawy, whose strike exceeded a month. Before entering Alaa Al-Qaradawi on hunger strike, too according to her lawyer.
Journalists Mona Selim, Eman Auf, and Hadeer Al-Mahdawi announced a one-day hunger strike, in symbolic solidarity with journalist Hisham Fouad, and in solidarity with the prisoners on hunger strike and fellow journalists imprisoned. A 24-hour strike, and a sit-in at the Press Syndicate, raising the slogan “We go back to live,” to demand the release of Fouad, all imprisoned journalists, and prisoners of conscience, until he responded to the call of Fouad’s family to end the strike and sit-in, fearing for his health.
From inside the houses, a number of activists, led by Dr. Aida Seif Al-Dawla, Dr. Laila Soueif, Mohamed Zare’e and Ikram Youssef, announced a solidarity strike to demand the release of prisoners of conscience
Renaissance Dam: The Security Council session did not bring hope, and Sisi reassures the Egyptian people
An Egyptian diplomatic source said that Cairo’s chances of passing a Security Council resolution calling on Ethiopia to suspend the second filling of the Renaissance Dam reservoir are not clear, and Tunisia, the current member of the Security Council, submitted a draft resolution calling on Ethiopia to stop filling the dam reservoir, and calling on Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume negotiations and reaching, within six months, a binding agreement on filling and administration, and in the hope of passing the resolution. Cairo and Khartoum agreed to introduce amendments to the language of the resolution, by raising some phrases that seemed stressful on the immediate obligation of Ethiopia to stop filling, or referring to international positions towards Addis Ababa. In the event that it continues to fill.
Egypt and Sudan have not yet reaped support in the direction of adopting the resolution, and there is now a push towards issuing a presidential statement by the council, with the content – not text – of the content of the resolution submitted by Tunisia, noting that obtaining a presidential statement is still not guaranteed with the lack of a sufficient number. One of the countries that supports this decision yet.
In the same context, President El-Sisi said that compromising Egypt’s national security is a red line that cannot be crossed. During his speech at the first conference of the national project, “A decent life.” We always deal with all issues with a rational mind and deep planning. When we spoke with Ethiopians and Sudanese on our desire to make the Nile River for partnership and good for all.
Epidemiological situation
Ashraf Hatem, Chairman of the Health Committee in the House of Representatives, called on the Ministry of Health to provide the committee with a detailed, time-bound plan to finish vaccinating the 10 million citizens who have registered to receive the Corona vaccine, through the website of the Ministry of Health, as well as vaccinating the rest of the citizens who have not registered, and vaccinating Egyptians traveling abroad. In light of the number of doses of the Corona vaccine currently available.
Tunisia
- Controversy and protests in Parliament and calls for a boycott
- Monji Rahoui’s accusations against Rached Ghannouchi during the plenary session on July 12, 2021
- The ratification of a draft law related to reviving the economy and settling exchange violations No. 104/2020 in its entirety
- Law for Reviving the Economy and Settlement of Exchange Violations (Full Approved Text)
- I WATCH
The ratification of a number of draft laws and the issue of withdrawing confidence from Ghannouchi is raised again
Despite the negative echoes of this law and the warning of many political parties and civil society organizations against voting on it, on July 12, 2021, the Economic Recovery and Settlement of Exchange Violations Law was passed during the plenary session with 110 yes, 5 abstention, and 7 rejection.
The “I Watch” organization denounced not broadcasting this session publicly or televising it, in flagrant violation of Article 103 of the bylaws of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, which states that “public sessions are public and are publicized by various means.”
The matter was further complicated by the renewal of the issue of withdrawing confidence from Parliament Speaker Rashid Ghannouchi, as three parliamentary blocs began activating the list of no-confidence motions against the Speaker to remove him from his post, due to what they considered a perversion of the legislative institution and a failure to manage it and turn it into an arena of violence with the complicity of its perpetrators.
The representative of the Islah (reform) bloc, Nisreen Al-Amari, said that her party bloc and the two blocs of the Tahya Tounes party and the Democratic bloc decided to assign the independent representatives to collect the signatures to withdraw confidence from the Speaker of Parliament, noting that the number of deputies who signed the petition amounted initially to 106, and the request will be deposited with the Control Office for presentation a,d for discussion in an open session and by a public vote, knowing that 109 signatures are sufficient to withdraw confidence from him.
In another context, the Committee on Internal Order, Immunity, Parliamentary Laws and Electoral Laws, during its session on Thursday, July 15, 2021, approved the proposal of the organic Law related to amending the entire electoral law.
Violence against the woman deputy continues under the dome of the parliament
The first session scheduled to vote on the economic recovery bill witnessed a state of tension between the various deputies, which necessitated the postponement of consideration of this bill until a later time, and quarrels began after the Speaker of the Council, Samira Chaouachi, cut off the speech of the representative of the Democratic current, Amal Saidi, which angered her and made her utter obscene words. Subsequently, Representative Samia Abbou intervened, denouncing this and mentioned the incident of violence that erupted against MP Abir Moussi last week.
Violence was also renewed in Parliament following the vote on the Water code, during the plenary session on Wednesday, July 14, when Ennahdha MP, Fayza Bouhlel, seized the mobile phone of Abir Moussi, insulted and threatened her, asking her to confront her outside the parliament, following Moussi’s protest on the draft law related to the Water Code, which it considered dangerous.
The Presidency of the Republic is moving internationally: the health situation and the Renaissance Dam files are at the top of the agenda
Given the difficult health situation in the country, the President of the Republic ordered the armed forces, in coordination with the medical and paramedical structures, to work on the entire territory of the Republic to vaccinate citizens, in addition to concentrating mobile field hospitals in the regions according to the development of indicators of the epidemiological situation.
This week was also full of international contacts, as the President of the Republic, Kais Saied, had a phone call with the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. During this conversation, the developments taking place in the Renaissance Dam file at the level of the Security Council and Ethiopia’s position on this issue were discussed. Tunisia’s support for the principle of dialogue and negotiation between the concerned countries in a manner that takes into account their vital interests in order to reach a just, equitable and binding agreement that preserves the rights of all parties.
On the same day, he had a telephone conversation with the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which touched upon a number of regional issues of common interest, the most important of which is the Renaissance Dam file, within the framework of the Security Council session to consider a draft resolution submitted by Tunisia, a non-permanent member of the Council.
On the other hand, the President of the Republic, Kais Saied , received a phone call on Friday, July 9, 2021, from The Chief Of Government of the Libyan National Unity Government, Mr. Abdel Hamid Dabaiba. The conversation touched on the issue of closing the borders between the two countries, and the Head of the Libyan National Unity Government stated that the decision to close the border with Tunisia was necessitated by health conditions and will be for a short period, and that coordination is in place between the two countries’ health ministers, and that Libya will spare no effort to stand by Tunisia in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic and the provision of special sanitary equipment for the benefit of the southern Tunisian region.
- A phone call between Kais Saied and the Saudi Prince
- A phone call between Kais Saied and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates
- A phone call between Kais Saied and the President of the Algerian Republic
On the evening of the same day, a phone call took place between the President of the Republic, Kais Saied , and His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This conversation represented an opportunity to emphasize the common will to further develop bilateral cooperation relations. His Royal Highness expressed the readiness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide Tunisia with all it needs in terms of vaccination, medical equipment and other necessary equipment to confront the Covid-19 pandemic in the fastest times.
- Two Egyptian military planes carrying various medical equipment and supplies, quantities of medicines, breathing monitoring machines and oxygen devices provided by the Arab Republic of Egypt
- Two Saudi planes loaded with various medical equipment and supplies donated from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Tunisia to support its efforts to confront the Covid-19 pandemic
- A military plane loaded with 50,000 vaccinations against the Coronavirus, artificial respiration units, oxygen generators, and various medical equipment and supplies donated from Turkey
- Medical aid from Saudi Arabia
As a result of these contacts, aid poured into Tunisia from every side and direction, as many countries sent aid from Qatar, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, and other countries.
Intensifying government actions to improve the health situation and introducing the “economic resuscitation ” law
On a social level, The Chief Of Government Hichem Mechichi spoke on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at the Government Palace in Kasbah, with the Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labor Union Noureddine Taboubi. The head of government stressed the importance of these periodic meetings with the Secretary-General of the labor organization, or between the government and the union party in order to reach agreements and solutions for the benefit of Tunisians, especially in light of this difficult economic, social and health situation. For his part, the Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labor Union called for the need to focus efforts in Confronting the Corona pandemic, especially in areas that know a high rate of the spread of Covid-19 infection, including in the governorate of Tataouine and the rest of the states of the southeast,
Taboubi also raised the issue of granting licenses to major institutions and laboratories in the private sector that are owned by foreign investors and have the capabilities to acquire vaccination so that workers can be vaccinated and economic revitalization, as well as contributing to the national effort to confront the Corona epidemic.
In order to introduce the new economic resuscitation law, the head of government met at the government palace in Kasbah, and the governor of the Central Bank, in the presence of the Minister of Economy, Finance and Investment Support. The meeting dealt with the economic and financial situation in Tunisia. The conversation also touched on the importance of ratifying the law, especially in this health circumstance. What our country knows to face the economic and social repercussions of the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.
The Chief Of Government stressed the need to expedite the preparation of the supplementary finance law, which will enable the adjustment of financial and economic balances based on new variables due to the continuing spread of the Corona epidemic. He also reviewed the progress of talks with the International Monetary Fund, stressing that international financial institutions still trust in our country and that the government is determined to continue its reform approach, which balances the need to take some painful decisions that must be taken, and the preservation of the social dimension and the interest of Tunisians in these reforms.
It is noteworthy to mention that this law enables every Tunisian to maintain or open an account in foreign currency or convertible dinars in Tunisia.
Mechichialso turned to the National Sports District in El-Menzah, where he was briefed on the sports facilities of tennis courts and the most prominent problems that these facilities know. The Chief Of Government, accompanied by the Acting Minister of Youth, Sports and Professional Integration, and the President of the Tunisian Tennis University, and in the presence of Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian world champion in tennis, was briefed. , on the most prominent problems experienced by tennis, stressing his keenness to find a formula to prepare and improve tennis courts as soon as possible to ensure the further radiance of this sport and the ability to attract major events attended by tennis stars in the world.
The Chief Of Government also received at the Government Palace the Ambassador of the State of Qatar in Tunisia, and the Head of Government praised the close and exemplary relations that unite the two countries, and the State of Qatar’s support for Tunisia, especially in light of the difficult health situation that our country is experiencing. For his part, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar announced that the State of Qatar will implement the directives of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, sent medical aid to the Tunisian government, consisting of a field hospital with a capacity of 200 beds equipped with all medical supplies, in addition to 100 respirators.
The Chief Of Government also supervised the meeting of the Council of Ministers via remote communication technology, and the Council approved a draft organic law related to the organization of a state of health emergency in addition to a number of government ordered projects. The Council also heard a statement on the general health situation in the country.
Mechichi stressed that the government has put in place all the logistical, human and material capabilities to resist this pandemic, provide the largest number of vaccinations for citizens, and preserve the health system, which suffers from many difficulties and shortcomings, and from the collapse in this difficult health circumstance that our country knows, and the Council of Ministers approved a number of projects Government orders Among them was a draft government order regarding the nomination of members of the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture.
Ennahdha ignores Tunisia’s crisis and insists on compensating its followers with billions… even by force
In 2013, the Truth and Dignity Commission, which was created in the National Constituent Assembly (2011-2014) which was controlled by Ennahdha with its allies the Congress for the Republic and the coalition for Labor and Freedoms, approved the creation of a fund “Dignity and Reparation”, which was announced in 2016, but was not activated due to the controversy that arose about it. The renewal of the Ennahdha movement’s demand for compensation, while the country faces a health, financial and economic crisis, a campaign of denunciation and widespread resentment among Tunisians, who pointed out the negative repercussions. This project affects the economy and the state’s treasury, and the Renaissance’s indifference to the country’s conditions in favor of serving its bases.
This comes after the circulation of a video clip of the head of the Shura Council of the Ennahdha Movement, Abdel Karim Harouni, dating back to July 2, in which he demands, during a protest pause, for his party supporters to demand compensation from The Chief Of Government and the necessity of activating the “Dignity Fund” and disbursing 3000 billion Tunisian dinars to compensate what he called “victims of tyranny and political militants” affiliated with the movement before 25 July, and warned that the Ennahdha movement will not remain silent about the demands of its supporters, threatening to use force in the event that these compensations are not obtained. The new youth of the Ennahdha movement will come on the green and dry.“
As a result, a group of citizens launched a wide campaign through social media and by taking to the streets to denounce this opportunistic behavior, especially in the current situation.
For its part, the “I WATCH” organization revealed great manipulation in the accounts of the Ennahdha movement and a strange rise in the so-called reward for the party leader, as this reward increased from 12 thousand dinars in 2011 to 42 thousand dinars in 2014. The organization was unable to know the rate of development of this reward during the recent years, but we expect it has continued to rise.
The water crisis and the exodus of minors
The Tunisian Water Observatory explains the catastrophic situation of the drinking water distribution service in Tunisia, and through the map of thirst for the month of June, Tunisia has reached record numbers that have not been recorded since the launch of the work of this observatory.
Where the observatory noticed in many directions sudden water cuts and the change in its color and dirt in many areas, including the governorate of Sfax.
On the other hand, the issue of irregular migration still poses a threat to citizens, especially vulnerable groups, as the number of Tunisians who reached the northern shore of the Mediterranean through irregular migration trips, during the first six months of 2021, reached about 2,962 Tunisians, including 77 women and 703 minors. Knowing that most of the minor immigrants are unaccompanied, only 51 minors accompany his family and 652 children ride the death boats alone, and minors (they are under 18 years old) represent about 23.6% of the number of irregular immigrants, i.e. about a quarter.
Finally, the suspension of Akremifrom work, pending the outcome of Al-Tayeb Rashid’s case
In a follow-up to the latest developments in the case of Bachir Akremi and Tayeb Rached, it is reported that on July 12, 2021, the Judicial Sector Council held a disciplinary session to look into the file of Bachir Akremi, following the violations that were monitored by the Ministry of Justice’s inspection through its report, and the Judicial Council had decided to suspend Bachir Akremi. He stopped working during this session, pending a decision on what is attributed to him, and referring the file immediately to the Public Prosecution to take the appropriate measures it deems appropriate, pursuant to the provisions of Article 63, Paragraph Two of the Law of the Supreme Judicial Council
- The publication of the second part of the report of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice, attached to the comment of the Defense
- Ms. Faten Mahnawi, member of the defense team for the two martyrs, Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi
- Statements by Ridha Radawi, a member of the defense team for the two martyrs, Brahmi and Belaid
- Publishing the third part of the report of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice with an appendix on the professional competence of Bechir Akremi
- The publication of the fourth part of the report of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice, attached to a comment by the Defense.
Updates on the case of the two martyrs, Belaid and Brahmi
In the latest developments in the case of the two martyrs, Belaid and Brahmi, it is mentioned that the second, third and fourth part of the report of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice were published, attached to the suspension of the Defense Authority on July 7, 2021, followed by the third part on July 9, 2021.
The defense team of the two martyrs, Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, also announced that a complaint had been submitted to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, including its demand for a special field visit to Tunisia to find out the reality of the state’s involvement in the assassinations and terrorism file.
The commission also filed a complaint with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Tunisia, in order to refer it to the Special Rapporteur on the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession, including details of the manipulation of the file of assassinations and terrorist cases by Judge Bechir Akerdmi and the continuous attempts to save him from disciplinary and criminal accountability.
A complaint was filed against the current Minister of Justice, Hasna Ben Slimene for deliberately concealing the rest of the complaints of the Defense team and withholding them from the Judicial Sector Council, which is in charge of the disciplinary file of Bashir Al-Akrimi, according to what was stated on the defense’s official page.
“I Watch” organization monitors violations of politicians and the vaccination campaign
In light of the deteriorating health situation, the Tunisian Labor Union did not hesitate to organize a huge conference attended by a large crowd of people without respecting the health protocol, which angered the “I Watch” organization, which issued many statements in this regard. The Amal Party also denounced the holding of this conference in the circumstances, as the party leader Yassin Ayari published a post in this regard on his Facebook page.
For their part, civil society parties condemned the holding of this conference, expressing their dissatisfaction with it, through the publication of a strongly worded statement by the Civil Committee to Confront the Coronavirus.
“I watch” is following the vaccination process and closely monitoring violations in it, as I have learned that tires from the UNIMED laboratories for the pharmaceutical industry, owned by the businessman and MP Ridha Charfeddine, had received doses of the anti-Coronavirus vaccination of the Sinovac type, for days July 7 and 8, 2021 at the regional vaccination center in Sousse, on the road to the Kalaa Sghira. I Watch sources confirmed that those who received doses are not among the priorities of the national vaccination strategy and are not in direct or indirect contact with patients, and their ages range between 30 and 36 years. Given the many violations and abuses that have been recorded in relation to the lack of respect for the priorities of the national vaccination strategy and the use of favoritism and sectoral favoritism Political and partisan, I watch called on the members of the National Vaccination Committee to submit their resignations after failing to ensure the implementation of the strategy, respecting the priorities stipulated in it, and succumbing to political dictates, which led to a damage to the credibility of the EVAX system and the confidence of citizens in it.
A “catastrophic” health situation by all standards, and international aid is flowing
Tunisia is witnessing a very catastrophic health situation due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, and the number of infections reached nearly 10,000 daily, and the Ministry of Health recorded 205 deaths as the highest toll on July 16, 2021. The number of infections reached about 9,286 on July 10, 2021.
- Ben Alaya's statement in this regard
- Health disaster in Zaghouan hospital
- A cry of panic from the medical framework at the examination hospital
- Serious health situation in the regional hospital of Beja
- Urgent case in the Rabta hospital
- Nabeul: Al-Taher Al-Maamouri Hospital closes its doors to patients
This situation also prevailed in the capital’s hospitals, where the emergency department of the League witnessed an unprecedented state of overcrowding and chaos, as well as the situation at the Taher Maamouri University Hospital in Nabeul, which recorded a capacity of 200%.
Due to the catastrophic state of the health situation, and after Kais Saied’s orders to enlist the army in order to vaccinate the citizens, the latter launched intensive vaccination campaigns in several states and delegations. In parallel with these campaigns, the mobile health teams conducted simultaneous registration and vaccination campaigns in a number of delegations of the Republic.
Medical aid from all sides flowed, including France, which sent 800,000 doses of the vaccine, in addition to medical equipment, to hospitals.
The Minister of Health had confirmed during a plenary session in Parliament that Tunisia had obtained about 4 million doses of vaccination from brotherly and friendly countries, stressing the intensification of vaccination campaigns in the coming days for citizens wishing to do so.
Libya
During the Security Council session, “Kubis” warns against holding elections and announces the failure of the exit of foreign forces and the opening of the coastal road
During his speech at the UN Security Council, in a special session on Libya, the UN envoy to Libya, Jan Kubis, called for the need for an international mobilization to support the stability process in Libya and the holding of elections on time, and stressed that holding the elections on time is an essential step for the democratic transition in Libya, He pointed out that the Geneva negotiations witnessed a severe division over the road map in Libya, which threatens the stability of the country, and stressed the continuation of the UN mission to provide support and efforts to advance the political and electoral process in Libya, and that there is paramount importance to laying the constitutional basis for the elections, in reference to the constitutional rule that the elections will be held on their basis, and he called for making all efforts to support the implementation of the ceasefire in Libya, stressing that the United Nations will continue to support the implementation of the ceasefire in Libya, and all efforts must be made to stop the activity of mercenaries, and that the presence of foreign forces in Libya threatens the efforts of the ceasefire, and that not opening the coastal road will only serve the interests of the saboteurs in Libya.
He accused what he described as “spoilers” of trying to obstruct the holding of crucial elections next December to unite the country, and said in a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council that “I spoke to many key players during my just-ended visit to Libya, and they all confirmed their commitment to holding the presidential and parliamentary elections on the 24th But I fear that many of them are not ready to carry out their promises, and that the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, a 75-member body, failed to agree earlier this month on a legal framework for holding elections and laying out a roadmap to end the conflict. He noted the failure of foreign forces and mercenaries to leave Libya within 90 days, as required under the ceasefire signed last October, and the failure to reopen the coastal road linking the east and west of the country, another key provision of the ceasefire. Kubis urged forum members to put their differences aside and agree on a proposal on the constitutional basis for elections, which could be immediately adopted by the House of Representatives and stressed that “interest groups, spoilers, and armed actors must not be allowed to obstruct The operation aimed at restoring the legitimacy, unity and sovereignty of the Libyan state and its institutions, warning that “the continued presence of foreign forces and mercenaries threatens the ceasefire.”
The session of the UN Security Council was launched at the level of foreign ministers, on the political track in Libya, which falls under Article VII of the United Nations Charter, against which resolutions prohibiting arms exports and military training were issued.
The Special Envoy of the President of the People’s Republic of the Congo conveys a special message from the Congolese President to the President of the Presidential Council
The Special Envoy of the President of the People’s Republic of the Congo, Ibata, praised the efforts of the Council in unifying institutions and its continuous work to achieve national reconciliation, and the success of the military by supporting the work of the Joint Military Commission (5 + 5). Ibata conveyed to the President of the Presidential Council a special message from the President of the People’s Republic of the Congo , who holds the task of chairing the African Union High-level Committee on Libya, inviting him to visit the Congo.
Last month, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso expressed his regret at the “scattering” of initiatives on the Libyan file, as well as the “notable lack” of coordination, as well as successive attempts to marginalize Africa, in the file and in his speech, during the meeting of the leaders of the Economic Community of Central African States in the capital, Brazzaville. Nguessou expressed his regret at the “failure of the international community” over the continuous calls previously made by the late Chadian President Idriss Deby, “for a permanent solution to the Libyan crisis,” after its multiple effects led to the destabilization of all the coastal countries.
Dabaiba announces his fear of the continuation of foreign forces and mercenaries and calls on the international community to support Libya in the path of transitional justice
The Prime Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government, Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, stressed that the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya is the most important obstacle to stability, and poses a threat to the political process, during his speech at the Security Council session on Libya, and that he gave instructions to the Ministry of the Interior to train elements to secure the upcoming elections, and 30.000 security agents will be trained to secure the elections and ensure the safety of the candidates and voters. He added that his government is doing what it can as an executive authority to hold the elections on time, and holding the elections on December 24 next is a national option that requires everyone to work on it, stressing that the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya is the most important obstacle to stability. It poses a real danger to the current political process, stressing the need for all foreign fighters to withdraw immediately from Libya, and called on the international community to support Libya in unifying its military and security institutions, saying: “The support of the international community is necessary to confront terrorism and Libya not turn into a source of threat to neighboring countries, and he noted that his government is working to confront irregular migration, and we stress the importance of addressing the causes of this crisis, and that the real enemy of Libya and the region is terrorism,extremism, cross-border crimes and human trafficking, added that the option of entering into new wars between Libyans has become a thing of the past, calling on the international community and the African Union to support the path of national reconciliation and transitional justice.
The continuation of rescue operations and forcible return to detention centers in Libya and international organizations strongly condemn these measures
A coast guard patrol boat rescued 51 irregular migrants of several nationalities, who were on their way to the European shores on a rubber boat. The guards received a distress call, after which the Fezzan boat was pushed to the place of the migrant boat; where they were recovered, according to a statement by the official spokesman of the Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces.
The UNHCR has revealed the departure of 6,521 vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya as part of resettlement operations to third countries since 2017 , including 322 in 2021. In a statement, UNHCR indicated that a humanitarian evacuation flight had been launched from Libya, after it was Suspended due to the epidemiological crisis as 133 asylum seekers left Tripoli for Rwanda.
These are refugees (men, women and children) from Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, most of whom were victims of trafficking or survivors of gender-based violence and other forms of abuse. Coronavirus-related travel procedures and strict resettlement criteria in some countries have delayed the assessment and resettlement chain, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said that resettlement conditions differ from country to country, for example, some only want people to be resettled with their families, while some countries do not have structures to receive unaccompanied children. There are also restrictions on nationalities.
Amnesty International, which is concerned with human rights, issued a scathing report on violations against refugees and migrants in Libyan detention centers. The report provided details of the experiences of 53 refugees and migrants, most of whom were arrested after being intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard, which received training several years ago, ships and equipment From Italy. Amnesty International said that in the first six months of this year, more than 7,000 people intercepted at sea were forcibly returned to a Libyan center, and the Italian House of Representatives agreed to renew funding for a training program for the Libyan coast guard, as the decision will increase Italy’s participation In the Mediterranean operation of the European Union Naval Force (IRINI), which includes training the Libyan Coast Guard and the Navy. The parliament session was preceded by large protests, in front of the Italian Parliament, during which more than 100 migrant rights organizations called on people to demonstrate against Italy’s cooperation with Libya.
The Office of the Libyan Attorney General, Counsellor Al-Siddiq Al-Sour, announced the release of more than 3,000 detainees between 2018 and 2020, and the office indicated that from last April 1 to July 3, 179 detainees were released, and judicial and administrative procedures are still continuing to address the conditions of all detainees as soon as possible. The deadlines, and these decisions come within the framework of the obligation to address the contents of the reports prepared by the international and national human rights committees and bodies on the situation in Libya. Detain them for the maximum period that may be spent, or for those in whose cases decisions have been issued to release them.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya calls on the national authorities to determine the fate of Sergewa and bring the perpetrators to justice, and Lawyers for Justice warns of impunity for abusers of activists
In the same context, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, in a statement on the occasion, renewed its calls for the national authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter with the aim of determining the fate and location of Sergewa and bringing the perpetrators to justice. The statement indicated that the kidnapping of Representative Siham Sergiwa and the enforced disappearance of hundreds of people constitute a grave violation of Libya’s obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
In a related context, Lawyers for Justice called on the Libyan authorities to open an independent investigation into the enforced disappearance of MP Siham Sergiwa and to bring the perpetrators to justice, noting that two years after her disappearance her whereabouts are still unknown, and indicated that the 17th of July Al-Jari marks the second anniversary of Sergiwa’s disappearance, when an armed group called “Awliya al-Dam” stormed her house in Benghazi and kidnapped her, after she criticized the military operation launched by Haftar on the capital, Tripoli. The organization said that activists, journalists and human rights defenders in Libya are facing increasing restrictions in light of what they are subjected to. They received threats, enforced disappearances and unlawful killings as a means to silence dissenting voices. Lawyers for Justice drew attention to the assassination of lawyer and human rights activist Salwa Bugaighis inside her home just hours after she voted in the parliamentary elections on June 25, 2014. The assassination was followed by the killing of Member of the National Congress for the city of Derna, Fariha Al-Barqawi on July 17, 2014, and human rights activist Intisar Al-Husari on February 24, 2015, while lawyer and political activist Hanan Al-Barasi was killed. She was shot dead in Benghazi on November 11, 2020.
The organization noted that the failure to investigate attacks against women and men and to hold the perpetrators accountable or to provide justice and reparation to the victims and their families, has led to the spread of a culture of impunity and the continuation of human rights violations committed without accountability in various parts of the country, and stressed the need to work to end the cycle violence and provide an environment in which all Libyans feel safe to participate as the country prepares for elections.
Last update : 18/07/2021 - 15:00
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